It’s a wild experience for me to go into every new album of these guys and think ‘this is my new favourite production’. I can’t help it. These men keep creating bangers that each new album lights up by senses all over again. With that being said, let’s get into it!
This is the brand-new album by iconic hip-hop duo MC ZELL and producer Dev Rogers. I discovered them in 2025 and haven’t looked back. I’ve been rather vocal about their success and consistency over the year, and they haven’t disappointed me!
Across these eight tracks and 16 minutes (might be their shortest offering to date), we hear Dev on what could be seen as his most soulful and atmospheric instrumentals to date!
Each track feels and has a level of aura to it that’s hard to pinpoint. It’s not exactly ‘boom bap’ but it’s not exactly mellow either. It’s somewhere in the sweet spot middle that got me hooked immediately!
I mean that intro track -BALTIMORE STATE OF MIND might have my favourite instrumental I’ve heard all year. My god, is it beautiful!
There’s this heavy jazz influence, light plucked strings, and this angelic vocal harmony that is so subtle yet so crisp that it adds a new layer of warmth to the song that comes together in this surreal experience!
There are other tracks such as the second track in -YELLOW TAPE (STORE RUN) that has this combination of adventurous and gritty tones associated with it. It’s got this rhythmic jazz horn loop that feels as powerful as can be! Assorted with that are these heavy-set drums, and a sturdy yet more background placement of these sharp chord progressions that help provide some extra tension to the song!
Hell, if we look at the track -CEMENT SHOES, which had the most wild intro with what sounded like Star Wars light saber battles, that later evolved into this raw meets stoner rap vibe! I think it’s because of those swaying plucked chords in the background! Reminds me of some prime Cypris Hill shit!
They also have some more hypnotic drum scores and light jazz notes that later evolve (in the finale 20 seconds or so) into this light jazz feel to close the track off! Very well done indeed!
Point is, Dev is giving us a masterpiece in instrumentation, even more than he normally does! Absolutely brilliant! (Especially that intro track, god damn)
I still remember the first critic comparison I made of ZELL ‘He’s like a real-life Inosuke’ and that’s still something I die on! Across the 5-6 albums I’ve reviewed of theirs, (maybe more) he’s maintained and upheld his trademark intensity in his performances and I feel with each release he’s only gotten more socially aware and using his platform to speak his truths and views on the world around him, giving the younger generation tips on how to be better!
When you think about it, he’s kind of hip-hop’s answer to Furious Styles. A street kid turned sensible adult who wants to teach the new school how to succeed in life! And doing so in his own practical and in-your-face approach, wanting to save people from the hood!
He’s back stronger than ever with his ferocious cadence, his powerful wordplay and his damn near shouting bars that you can’t help but feel resonate throughout your bones as you go through the album.
For 16 minutes this man hits you with a truck full of verbal lessons, messages and street poetry but instead of used to brag he’s using as a warning spot! I also love how across all these drops he works solo, no one next to him just ZELL keeping the energy alive himself and that’s something I gotta respect heavily!
This duo has never given us a reason to worry and they haven’t started now. Another adrenaline-filled drop by the two men, one you should definitely check out below!
https://open.spotify.com/album/2baCwGl9JSFbkHqyXwC0pB?si=bx2Lp-MgR2yHae7SxEsb-Q
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 